Officially, only five mages had ever reached the 8th tier. One of them was Sylvanus Marcone, master of the Cerulean Tower. He had spent the last several months on an assignment in the northern wastes, the home of the barbarians, and the moment he returned, he knew something was wrong.
The first reason was the unsettling absence of Lacuna’s presence, a familiar energy he always felt upon setting foot in the tower. The second was his disciple,
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